Descriptive Quantitative Study on

Ethical Issues in Distant Learning-

Modular Amongst Senior High School

Students of Bahay Pare National High

School in the Time of Pandemic SY

2021- 2022

Members

Dela Cruz, Jasper

Francisco, Mariel

Joson, Mialyn

Lagman, Marjon

Marcelo, Sarah Mae

Pangan Jr, Alfredo

Vidania, Jaizan
 Chapter I

Introduction

This chapter will include background of the study, the review of related literature,

statement of the problem, significance of the study, scope and limitation, hypothesis,

and conceptual and theoretical framework discussing Ethical Issues in Distant

Learning- Modular Amongst Senior High School Students of Bahay Pare National High

School in the Time of Pandemic.

Background of the Study

In this time of pandemic, cheating has become more prevalent among the students.

These students first look for ways to cheat in exams and continue unethical practices in

study. Cheating is defined as obtaining or attempting to obtain, or aiding another to

obtain credit for work, or any improvement in evaluation of performance, by any

dishonest or deceptive means. Cheating includes, but is not limited to: lying; copying

from another's test or examination; discussion at any time of questions or answers on an

examination or test, unless such discussion is specifically authorized by the instructor;

taking or receiving copies of an exam without the permission of the instructor; using or

displaying notes, "cheat sheets," or other information devices inappropriate to the

prescribed test conditions; allowing someone other than the officially enrolled student

to represent same.

Although every instance of academic dishonesty has its consequences, it is

designed to help students remember not only what they do wrong but also how

important it is for everyone to play fair. Students still engage or resort to academic
dishonesty because of pressure to achieve, time management struggles or difficulty with

a particular course or concept.

Review of Related Literature

Academic Dishonesty has caused students to be more dependent on cheating. It

has been a part of their academic routine for it is their only hope to pass in a certain

subject or class (Bleeker, 2.)

Cheating can be more defined as independent planning, socially active and

independent socially passive. Independent planning happens when students have their

cipher or notes during an exam which is filled with answers. Social activity happens

when a student glances with another student's paper to get answers. Social passive

happens when a student is copying his/her mate's answers with corresponding

permission from the mate (Garavalia, Olson, Russell, & Christensen, 2007).

As time passes, students don't recall their lessons anymore. They have their

sources and techniques on how they're going to get answers. Gender also plays a role in

academic dishonesty. Men tend to have a higher rate of plagiarism than women

(Hensley et al., 2013)

In addition to gender roles, academic performance is also a factor of academic

dishonesty. Prestigious universities are accepting public school students who qualified

an average of 90% and above to be on their 'No Top Up Program'. This puts the students

on pressure for they want to pursue their dreams in their dream schools (or their

parents). (Munoz Garcia & Aviles Herrera, 2014)

 The concept of Academic Dishonesty or Cheating is also varied by culture.

Eastern and Western people have different views and perspectives regarding the issue.

Since Asia is the land of honest people, they are the ones who don't tolerate cheating

(Ehrich, Howard, Mu, & Bokosmaty). They have different kinds of punishment

regarding action. Meanwhile, the Western people only put a bit of attention to this for

they think that education is not what you've learned from different subjects but from the

life lessons you've got. They think that cheating is a form of being resourceful so they

somehow tolerate it (Martin, 2012).

Academic dishonesty also varies on the mindset of a person. If he/she believes in

him/herself, there will be a decreasing tendency of cheating (Beasley, 2014). Some

people think that their skills are irrevocable and they are inborn to be talentless, they

are prone to cheating for they pressure themselves of whom they want to be. These

people who claim that their skills could be developed and believes that there is always

room for improvement are the ones who are not prone to cheating (Henning et al.,

2015).

A learning climate is also important for it affects how the students will reflect

themselves mentally, emotionally and physically (Ambrose, Bridges, DiPietro & Lovett,

2010). The teaching and learning style are factors of a learning climate. If the learning

and teaching style matches, lesser problems will occur and the students will become

more motivated in doing well inside the classroom. The teaching style will be more
effective if it has different strategies because not all students are the same in terms of

learning. Some are visual, auditory and kinesthetic/tactile (Ornstein, & Hunkins, 2009).

Studies on correlations between academic dishonesty and other forms of

dishonesty have found a significant correlation between academic cheating, lying, and

shoplifting (Beck & Ajzen, 1991) and between cheating in college and unethical behavior

in the workplace (Sims, 1993).

The secondary schools in some cities have students who are extremely challenged

by their schools to perform more than what the people expected. When the impact of the

youth of every sort and from every kind of family background brought an increasing

variety of courses to the high school and the reduction of academic standards also

become noticeable. Even thou everything under the sun was taught in the secondary

school we can't predict that the major focus for research has been the influence of

individual or personality factors with these instances the persistent nature of student

academic dishonesty has been extensively researched and has been found to include

multi-faceted and complex factors.

Outside the Philippines in the united states to be specific there is a perception

that student academic dishonesty has increased since the 1990‟s with the availability of

accessible computer technology. However, although these technologies have made

student academic dishonesty, particularly copy-and-paste plagiarism, easier they have

not created a new problem. Significant levels of student academic dishonesty have been

reported from as early as 1941 (Davis, Grover, Becker, & McGregor, 1992).
 Pressure for grades is related to academic dishonesty. Even high-achiever

students may turn to academic dishonesty as a way to achieve their target. Contributing

to this pressure is the implication that grades define students as either successes or

failures (Shirk, Hoffman, 1961: 131). Zastrow (1970: 159) wrote that academic pressure

is of the most frequently mentioned reason for the students to cheat.

As a result of a survey of Iowa State University faculty and students on academic

dishonesty, Barnett and Dalton (1981: 549) reported that "competition and pressure for

good grades is unquestionably the single most important cause of academic dishonesty."

Houston (1976c: 301) reported that significant copying occurred among three hundred

and twenty-three introductory psychology students when they took an exam which

counted toward their grade.

In a second experiment where test performance did not contribute to course

grade, no significant copying occurred. Houston concluded that the grading system may

be an important cause of the copying effect (1976c: 310).

According to Zastrow, students place great value in receiving good grades. Grades

seem to have psychological meaning to students, and students view good grades as a

requirement for eventual job opportunities in addition to academic advancement. "Such

reasons as 'fear of self-devaluation in competition' and 'lack of confidence in own

abilities' suggest that students judge, to some extent, their abilities (i.e., their worth) by

the grades received in competition with other students" (1970: 159).

The relationship between cheating and intelligence was studied and varied

reports were noted in the literature. Some research claimed no relationship between

cheating and intelligence. Howells (1938: 99) discounted the relationship between

honesty and intelligence, although he found when high school students graded their

history tests, those who scored well demonstrated less need for cheating.

Johnson and Gormly (1972) determined that cheating was a way of avoiding

failure but found no relationship between cheating and intelligence when the risk of

detection was low. They wrote that "high intelligence may function as an adaptive

mechanism for evading obvious detection devices, but it is not associated with reduced

motivation to cheat" (1972: 324).

Given the pressure of performance-based education, some students and

educators have chosen alternative paths to achieve their varying performance goals. (i.e.

No Child Left Behind). Cheating is defined as trying to influence something or someone

by "deceit, trick or artifice" (cheating, 2009). In an academic environment, individuals

are cheating to deceive others into thinking that they possess knowledge or abilities

beyond their current standards. The one who can affect them the most is their peers.

If peers in their peer group choose academic dishonesty, they are more likely to

do the same (McCabe, 1999 as cited by Sarita, 2015). Teenagers are influenced by what
their peers do, and they form peer groups around similar interests. Peer influence is at

its highest point in their lives.

Another thing is that cheating has been a culture in some schools since some of

the teachers there are doing their very best to uplift the students and of course the

school itself to where they belong. Although cheating by students has been going on for

several decades, cheating has recently become more common on the part of teachers

(Axtman, 2005) in trying to improve student grades by teaching exams or offering

assistance during the testing process. A culture of cheating teaches students that

cheating is acceptable and normative (Provexam, 2016).

Even when at the highest level of moral reasoning, students were cheating in

response to a system they believed is subjective or unfair. In a 2006 survey of more than

500 postsecondary students in the U.K., students were cheating because everyone else

was (Pickard). In the Paterson, et al., (2003) study, they found that dishonesty was

framed positively. Not only cheating is increasing, but it is becoming more socially

acceptable (Vojak, 2007).

Statement of the problem

This chapter includes the general and specific claims that outline the factors to

addressed Ethical Issues in Distant Learning- Modular Amongst Senior High Students

1. Why do students commit unethical behaviors?

a. What makes a student unethical?

b. What is the common cause of unethical acts?

c. Does academic performance status impel students to cheating?

d. Does unfamiliarity with the consequences constitute ethical issues?

e. What study habits influence the students to incline in cheating?

2. What are the ways students engaging in unethical behavior?

a. Are students aware of "Online Kopyahan”?

b. How are they engaging in cheating?

c. How do they find plagiarism helpful?

d. How accessible is the technology for the students to cheat?

e. How do the students utilize the use of the internet?

3. How are authorities standing to prevent cheating in online distance learning?

a. How do parents manage their children to avoid unethical behaviors?

b. Does the teacher induce a student's genuine interest in learning?

c. Do students find peer pressure the reason that it's okay to cheat?

d. What situational factors affect dishonest behavior of students?

e. Can high expectations push academic pressure on students?

Significance of the study

This study focuses on the Ethical Issues in Distant Learning- Modular Amongst

Senior High School Students of Bahay Pare National High School in the Time of

Pandemic. The result of this study will be valuable to the following:

● Students

Student will be the ones directly affected by this study. The finding of the

study may serve as a basis of an outcome of ethical issues in a new normal way of

education.

● Parents

The parents are the most concerned in the study. To make sure and have

awareness that their children are doing their studies in a good way.

● Teacher

As the main agents of education, teachers would benefit from this study. It

helps them to identify their students if they are doing wrong doings in their

studies.

● To Future Researchers

This research will help the future researcher to get information related to

study about the ethical issues in distant learning modular/ online amongst senior

high school students in Bahay Pare National High School during the pandemic.
Scope and Limitation of the study

Teaching at a distance raises ethical issues particular to the distance context.

When distance learning is also online learning the situation is even more complex. This

research focuses on the Ethical Issues in Distant Learning-Modular/Online Learning

among senior high school learners of Bahay Pare National High school. The goal of this

research is to gain the factors that amplify the ethical issues faced by not only the

learners but also the teacher during Online/Modular Learning environments.

This data collection will be conducted in selected TVL senior high school students

of Bahay Pare National High School.

Hypothesis

The aim of the present study is to examine the factors affecting the students to

engage in academics. The researchers come up with the following hypotheses.

● Null Hypothesis

The pandemic and distant learning has no effect on why students commit

unethical behavior.

● Alternative Hypothesis

The pandemic and distant learning with other specific external factors has

a big effect on why students are triggered to do unethical behavior.

Conceptual Framework
Theoretical Framework

In this study, the perception of the students (as the independent variable) affects

their reason/s why they cheat (factors as the dependent variable). If the student

perceives cheating as unethical and a bad doing, then he/she has less/no reason at all to

cheat. Otherwise, if he/she sees cheating as a good thing to do then, he/she has a lot of

reasons to count why the act has been done. However, there are intervening variables to

be considered which can influence them as to how they perceive cheating differently.
Definition Of Terms

Prevalent- widespread in a particular area or at a particular time.

Deceptively- in a way or to an extent that gives a misleading impression; to a lesser or

greater extent than appears the case.

Ethical- relating to moral principles or the branch of knowledge dealing with these.

Unethical- not morally correct.

Plagiarism- the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as

one's own.

Discourses- written or spoken communication or debate

dishonesty, deceitfulness shown in someone's character or behavior.

Pandemic- is a disease outbreak that spreads across countries or continents.

References
 Chapter II

Methodology

This chapter clearly defines the research methods used to conduct the study. This

will explain how the data and information address the research objectives and questions

collected, presented and analyzed. Reasons and justifications for the research design,

participant and sampling technique, ethical consideration, research instruments, data

analysis and data collection used are given.

Research Design

Participants and Sampling Technique

Ethical Consideration

Permission to carry out the study to seek after the presentation. The nature and
purpose of the study will be explained by researchers to the respondents.
The researchers treated all the information given by the participants with a lot of
confidentiality to a safeguard of the respondent personal ‘s integrity and privacy
regarding school ‘s ethical considerations.
The researchers submitted the questionnaire which constructed in English to the
validators of their study. It aimed at seeking approval and ensuring the ethical
acceptability of the research involving human respondents.
The third consideration is asking the respondents ‘permission through
Messenger to answer the researchers' Questionnaires through the Google Forms.

Research Instruments

Data Analysis
Data Collection